Count Cain: The Scarlet Epilogue
by kyuuketsuneko
Summary: An original sequel to God-Child... a 'what if' Cain survived. WARNING: Horror & gore  for those with vivid imaginations  with stated but not explicit RiffxCain later in the series... just  'cause I can bring dead people back to life :D
1. Jack & Jill Went Up the Hill

Jack & Jill part I: Jack and Jill Went Up the Hill

Disclaimer: Is this even necessary? I mean seriously, this is a FANFICTION site. But anyway, all character rights & plot rights belong to Yuki Kaori-sensei, apart from maybe my random, insignificant little OCs.

That aside, I had to write an epilogue to God Child since according the author, Cain was not drawn with any apparent injury to create an open ending effect (though really through common sense you'd think he'd be dead). HOWEVER! Due to the fact that he's very awesome and that there are a lot of fanfics about his tragic 'death', I decided to go for the happy-ish ending approach (hey you can't blame a girl for trying D=) Okay, I'm sorry for the rant *bows*, please read on.

~X~

[Time: Afternoon Tea]

[Place: A Garden, Hargreaves Estate]

Mary slammed the newspaper down, causing Oscar to spill his tea.

"Now, now dear Mary, that's no way for a lady to behave-"

He was abruptly cut off when he found himself assaulted by cutlery and a chair. It seemed that her temper hadn't changed all that much since childhood. Either that or it was 'Scarlet' again. She confirmed it to be the latter.

"LOOK AT THIS! That Miss Scarlet solved ANOTHER case!"

Her well-kept fingers stabbed the front-page.

"And what seems to be the problem? I'm sure the involved are very happy that it's all wrapped up-"

This time it was the table that was sent flying Oscar's way.

"The problem is that these tabloids are calling her the Lady of Death as well as the Countess of Poison! I know they weren't exactly the nicest of nicknames, but she shouldn't just STEAL my brother's titles like that!"

"Ah… I see…" was all her husband could squeak out from under the table. His left leg twitched like a squashed bug's.

~X~

[Place: Raphaela Scarlet's Poisons and Medicines Shop]

Her doorbell jingled.

"Not open. Read the sign," she looked up at a cloaked figure. He flashed a tarot card in front of her eyes.

"The World this time? Well, well, for a Major Arcana to visit me, I feel rather honoured."

"As all of your previous visitors have asked, would you like to become 'Death'?"

"Hm… not to be coy or anything, but I still would like some more time to think about it. Joining up with a mysterious organisation may have its perks for my children (namely my poison collection), but it also means I have to put quite a lot at stake, correct?"

"Indeed. This will be life-changing."

"More like life-ending," the black-haired woman rolled her eyes and pointed at the door "why don't you hop along and ask your dear 'Card Master' to give me a little more time to weigh up my options."

"Have it your way," replied the hermaphrodite, slamming the door so hard that the coat hanger next to it toppled over. Needless to say, she had to buy the third bell of the week to replace her ever-breaking doorbells.

Scarlet sighed and whipped out a broom. Guess it's time to clean up the mess Delilah made. Again.

"How many times does it make this?" she grumbled to herself, sweeping like a maid.

~X~

[Place: Under a Bridge Near the Thames River]

The blonde twins giggled. The girl, with the cutest ringlets and a frilly red dress, lifted the carving knife.

"Hey, Jack?"

"Yes, Jill?

"What do we do now?"

"Mother said we should chuck him into Thames."

"Can we play with him first?"

"Sure, why not? Let's give him a crown, Jack-and-Jill-styled."

Jack and Jill went up a hill

_To fetch a pail of a water_

_Jack fell down and broke his crown_

_And Jill came tumbling after._

~X~

DO NOT TAKE OFFENSE TO:

Mary being a bit violent XD She is by no means meant to be a dominatrix/sadist. Though if people request it, I'm sure I'll have great fun making her one.


	2. To Fetch A Pail of Water

Jack & Jill part II: To Fetch a Pail of Water

Disclaimer: I'm not even bothering with this. Copy and paste from chapter 1.

Before you say "D: Scarlet's a random OC & so are Jack and Jill," be patient! Even sensei had a lot of random, minor characters that were very major within their arc. I'm trying really hard to keep with the whole kind of gothic theme + nursery rhymes + awesome psychopaths whose conditions were caused by love/lack of it.

~X~

When Thomas McDonald was accidentally fished out from the Thames river, it took days to identify him. Not only was it due to the natural swelling up a corpse submerged in water, the fact that he was completely unclothed and that his limbs were scattered everywhere, but it was also due to the simple problem of his head resembling a pincushion more than anything else. It had a wooden stake driven through it from the mouth, nails in the eyes, bolts through the tongue that zigzagged in the cavity where a nose was once located. It was nothing short of revolting.

Of course, when revolting corpses are involved, so is Miss Scarlet.

She was on the scene in minutes.

"Well, inspectors, I can tell you this. There's nothing foul about this incidence apart from the smell*."

"So you're ruling out the possibility of poison? You ARE the expert after all."

"Well, not fully. But this corpse is quite mutilated, so unless I run chemical trials, I can't be 100% sure that there isn't some difficult-to-be-detected poison involved. However, my dear inspector, I happen to be a little low on chemicals-"

"Dear Miss Scarlet, is it just me, or do you always 'happen' to be low on chemicals?"

"Well, I'm in the poorhouse after all," she laughed as her golden-green eyes twinkled. She twirled a silky black lock around her finger. Even her waist-lengthed hair seemed to quiver with excitement at the idea of being able to play with more poisons.

The inspector groaned. EVERYONE knew she was just being cheap and getting the police to pay for her secret experiments that she often conducted under the name of chemical trials.

"Alright, alright. Have your way then."

"Thank you~" she gave him a peck on the cheek. Oh if only they knew one of her many secrets… then the poor man would never have enjoyed that peck on the cheek.

~X~

[Place: Underground Sewers]

"Mama? Are you happy now? We did what you wanted! The man from Deli-deli told us how to do it!"

"Of course I'm not happy! How could I be?" she slapped the girl, sending her flying and crashing into the wall.

"JILL!" yelled her blonde counterpart, rushing to check if she was fine. A thin trail of blood was making its way down her face. His face contorted like a demon's.

~X~

Several days later, Thomas McDonald's lover was found in the river. Like Thomas, she had a head like a pincushion. However, this time, Miss Scarlet caught on. The head was not a pincushion, but the cushion for a very cruel crown. She smiled ruefully. It almost reminded her of Jesus's crown of thorns – a crown to bind a sacrifice.

~X~

"MARY-WEATHER! You can't go to the scene of a crime like that!" barked the Head Maid.

"If my brother could, why can't I?" snapped Mary, revealing her attire and leaving the Head Maid with her jaw on the ground.

"DEAR MOTHER OF PEARL! My love, what ARE you wearing?" shrieked Oscar several octaves above the range of a usual man.

"As you can see, I. Am. Wearing. Pants."

"But that's ridiculous! No woman should be wearing pants, let alone one of an aristocratic class!"

She slammed the door in his face.

Nothing would get in the way of Mary-Weather Hargreaves once she set her mind to it.

Nothing would ever get in the way of the Earl of Poison's little sister.

Or will they?

~X~

*=This is a pun (for the people that didn't get it). She's saying there's no 'foul-play' i.e. poison involved, and talking about the 'foul' stench of the corpse.

For the people who didn't get it from my incredible unsubtle hinting, yes, Thomas and the mother of the twins were killed by Jack & Jill. Thomas and that woman were also lovers and finally, Deli-deli is what Jill calls Delilah. And yes. Jack has a sister complex.

DO NOT TAKE OFFENSE TO:

My reference to the crown of thorns. I just thought it would build a nice image of the spikey bolts and nails sticking out of the heads of the victims.

Mary being yelled at for wearing pants. I'm pretty sure it was quite a bit later in history that women were allowed to wear pants in England, so I'm assuming that it would have be utterly appalling.


	3. Jack Fell Down & Broke His Crown

Jack & Jill part III: Jack Fell Down and Broke His Crown

Disclaimer: I'm not even bothering with this. Copy and paste from chapter 1.

Before anyone complains, I know I have short chapters. I like breaking things up into smaller segments so it's easier on the eyes to read. The last thing I want to do is bowl my readers over with huge blocks and blocks of writing that even I don't want to read.

Hint before you get bored by Scarlet: she has vital connections to Cain. You shall see later on.

~X~

Cain sighed. Trust Mary-Weather of all people to be running around in PANTS. He wished that he left a note in his will for Mary, telling her that she should try to exert a level of self-control… oh well, too late for that. It was a good thing that she was dragged back inside before she was more than three paces from the estate.

He slinked back into the shadows. Well, all was well. Oscar was doing a relatively decent job of keeping Mary well. That was all that mattered.

"Now then, how shall I deal with this case?"

~X~

Scarlet was shopping for groceries. Apples to be exact. For a woman who could pick out a poisonous mushroom from a mile away, finding a nice apple was surprisingly hard. The 'nice' apples were expensive, the fairly-priced apples were worm-infested and the cheap apples were of an unspeakable condition.

She sighed.

"_Jack and Jill went up a hill_

_To fetch a pail of water_

_Jack fell down and broke his crown_

_While Jill came tumbling after."_

Scarlet looked up, surprised that someone would be singing a nursery rhyme in such a busy market-place.

Suddenly, a blonde boy ran into her.

"Ow-careful there!"

He glared at her and ran away.

Her eyes widened.

"JACK!"

Scarlet turned, her eyes widening even more as she saw a blonde girl with ringlets. The final piece of the puzzle had fallen into place.

~X~

"So what do you have for us, Scarlet?"

"Well, there was no poisoning involved. At all. Zilch."

"Okay, we get that. Why do you seem so annoyed by that?"

"Well, no particular reason apart from the fact that it means those kids actually bashed the couple to death rather than poisoned them."

"KIDS?"

"Jack and Juliet Heathgrove, also known as the Jack & Jill of the Heathgroves. I believe you have heard of their family?"

"The family of nobles that fell into ruin?"

"Indeed. I thought it was strange that the woman who was killed had the Heathgrove crest, but after a little research, it all makes sense."

"Explain."

"Roughly ten years ago, there was a young woman of incredible beauty named Emily Heathgrove. She eloped with the man she loved, namely our friend Thomas who ended up in Thames. It would appear that they had two children – the twins, Jack and Jill."

The inspector swallowed uncomfortably. He didn't like the way this story was going.

"The happy little family then collapsed due to the father's gambling habits. They fell into debt and the mother began to prostitute herself. She became very unhappy. My guess is that her children loved her and wanted to help. Logically, they would blame the father…"

"And kill him, right?"

"Yes."

"But that doesn't explain the brutality of it all."

"That was what confused me about this case at first. Conveniently, I bumped into Jack Heathgrove this morning and that revealed this vital clue. He was covered in scars of beatings and tortures… and a burn mark."

"Don't tell me that it was the mark of 'that*'?"

"It was. The children were probably also prostituted for money. The mark that he was branded with was one of a brothel famous for S&M, usually serving sadists… well needless to say, they probably became accustomed to pain, viewing it as a game."

"And hence our pincushion heads?"

"Sort of. The children had to dismember the victims because they couldn't carry the full adult weight by themselves… and I think the pincushion head business has something to do with this nursery rhyme:

Jack and Jill went up a hill

_To fetch a pail of water_

_Jack fell down and broke his _crown_…_"

"I can't say I understand how that is related."

"The girl was singing that nursery rhyme obsessively. Let us take it in a metaphorical sense. The hill would be the climb towards solving a difficult problem, namely their parents. Water, as you know, is often a symbol of emotion. In this case, I would assume that they gained…"

"Emotional instability?"

"Possibly. Then Jake broke their 'crown', i.e. their parents. Also, the falling down may refer to his 'sinning' and falling from the grace of God."

"Then the mutilation of the head was…!"

"To show that their parents were the crown. So, inspector, shall we complete this nursery rhyme for them?"

~X~

*=This was sort of taken from the arc in Count Cain with the pudding incident where the guy (whose name I can't remember at 2 in the morning) was forced to dress as a girl and then various things happened, resulting in his cannibalism and him going a bit loopy. I really quite liked him too T_T. The point was that the twins were sent to a similar place.

Okay, I think I officially suck at mystery unless told otherwise D:


	4. And Jill Came Tumbling After

Jack & Jill part IV: And Jill Came Tumbling After

Disclaimer: I'm not even bothering with this. Copy and paste from chapter 1.

Naming of the chapters of this arc: since I decided to break this arc into four segments, I decided to title each chapter with a line from the nursery rhyme. The chapters do sort of have a theme related to it anyway… sort of XD The first chapter was the 'building up to a problem', the second related to the Thames river (pail of _water_), the third related to the revelation of the crown and the fourth… READ ON TO FIND OUT~ :D

~X~

[Time: Flashback of a Certain Night]

[Place: In 'That' Place]

"Jack?"

"Yes, Jill?" 

She was snuggled into his arms.

"Will we always be together?"

He gently lifted her head, stroking her hair.

"Of course we will. We're Jack and Jill."

"Will you always protect me?"

"Big brother Jack will never let anyone hurt you. Not while he's alive."

"'Cause you love me the most right?"

He kissed her forehead.

If only life was a fairy tale.

~X~

The sound of the twin's running footsteps were overwhelmed by the thundering running of a police squadron behind them.

"JILL RUN! RUN-!"

The baton was brought down to the struggling boy's head. There was a sickening crunch. Blood trickled down his face and began to pool.

"JACK!" she screamed, running away in tears.

"Keep running… Jill… Big brother loves you… more than any-"

Another whack cut him off.

The police officer spat at the body and kept bashing.

"I hate psycho-kids. They leave such a bad aftertaste."

Scarlet looked away. She couldn't help it. This whole incident disgusted her. First of all, no poisons were involved (boo hoo no fun for her there) and then it turns out that the culprits were children whom were abused? Now THAT is just cruel. She couldn't blame them for breaking down like that and the officer's actions were inexcusable, but she had no right to speak. Her part was done here.

~X~

"MARY! Who goes shopping at this time of night?"

"My dear Oscar, what EVER gave you the idea I was really going out shopping? You don't suppose I dressed up like a boy for nothing, did you?"

"… Mary… I don't think this is a good idea…"

"MOVE IT!" shrieked a girl who had spun out from a corner, sprinting down the cobblestone street.

"FREEZE!" bellowed a man.

She didn't.

BANG.

Her blonde ringlets were coloured with a splatter of red.

For Mary, Jill's body seemed to fall down in slow motion, the blood trailing behind her like fireworks.

"Who are you people? Shooting an unarmed child like that!" she screeched, furious. She held the child in her arms. The girl was clearly no more than ten, and yet her life was over. Her once-glittering blue eyes were dull and glazed over.

"We were arresting the criminals for the latest mutilation murders. What are YOU doing out so late at night?" asked Scarlet, appearing from behind the inspector.

"SCARLET! I should have known that you were behind this. No one else is as cruel as you, you grim reaper! You horrible, wretched, nincompoop-!"

Oscar finally managed to cover his wife's mouth.

"My dear little BROTHER here was feeling a little down, so we went for a bit of a walk. This incident has really shocked him, so please excuse his behaviour-ow!"

Mary bit his hand and stormed off.

"Wait up, Mary-us*!"

"Marius…? What kind of name is that?" murmured the squadron, puzzled.

~X~

The pair were completely out of breath, sprawled on the sofa.

"Who told you told you to keep running?"

"Who told you to keep chasing me? Stupid Oscar…"

He slowly climbed on top of Mary, closing in for a kiss. They had a weird knack of having romantic sessions after a bit of running around/fighting.

"Look, Mrs. Crawford, I told you Mummy and Daddy were just making more babies~"

"Um…"

Oscar glared at the maid.

"I'M SORRY!" she yelped, darting up the stairs.

"Abel, what did I say about staying up late?"

"It's not Abel, it's Cain."

"Daddy is a dummy, so he always gets us mixed up," snorted Abel from upstairs, his green eyes looking very much unamused. The pair of identical boys stared at their parents, on from downstairs and one from upstairs, then grinned at each other.

"Since Mummy and Daddy were doing naughty things…" began Cain,

"Then we get to punish them!" completed Abel.

"So…" Cain smirked

"We were thinking…" Abel also smirked

"That maybe…" Cain continued

"We could get…"

"PLUM PUDDING TONIGHT!" cheered both of the boys.

"… I hate kids," groaned Oscar.

"… How did it come to this?" whined Mary, almost face-palming herself.

~X~

Meanwhile, the Magician was not amused. He took quite a liking to the twins.

"Hello, Magician."

"The World? Why, hello."

"I see you've been living up to your nickname of the Pied Piper."

"Oh? You found out?"

"There aren't many other people that like to manipulate children as much as you do."

"But isn't it fun? Watching those beautiful, pure little angels crash down to the earth… then fall into despair, ruin and the flames of hell?"

"You're just a sadist."

"Better than you, she-man. Pity that Scarlet got rid of another load of my toys."

"Raphaela Scarlet, huh… that woman will pay… eventually."

"Hey, hey, as much as we hate her, we shouldn't be hasty. The Card Master took some serious interest in her after all."

"Pft… I bet it's just a temporary infatuation."

_After all,_ The World thought to him/herself, _no man could deny her beauty. That haughty golden-green gaze, the silky black hair that beckoned and teased, that incredibly thin waist and those features of a goddess…_

~X~

Scarlet removed her thin layer of make-up.

She looked into the looking glass and sighed.

"Hello Cain."

~X~

*=LOL I know, Oscar fails. He was about to call her 'Mary' but then realised that it would be bad calling his 'brother' a girl's name, so he added '-us' on the end (a masculine ending in Latin), making it sound like 'Marius' [remember, she's dressed as a guy (because it's easier to move around) and he doesn't want her to ruin the Hargreaves name]. But seriously, what kind of name is 'Marius'? XD I considered 'Mario' but then the game popped into mind =_=.

Hm… yeah those twins are a bit screwed in the head. Jack loves Jill obsessively (but not romantically) and Jill just loves to be protected. This arc was kind of the Pudding arc/story of Count Cain + Hansel & Gretel of Black Lagoon + possibly a bit of the twins from Dogs: Bullets and Carnage/Hardcore Twins (but obviously less awesome b/c I wrote it T_T)… gosh I really like cross dressing/confusing genders + psycho kids… D:

Oh yeah, I really like the word 'nincompoop' XD. For some reason, it seems like a very Mary-Weather-ish thing to say.

Oops… sorry for ranting again… D:

And yes, for all you people that didn't get the last bit: Cain = Raphaela Scarlet. Sort of-ish. You shall eventually see why it's only sort-of-ish. REEEAAAADDDD OOOOONN~!


End file.
